Debate: International adoption based on child well-being

From Debatepedia

Background and context

Before 1970 international adoption was also known as intercountry. International adoption first started following the end of World War 2 and the start of the early Cold War. International adoption first started being broadcast to the American public during the proxy wars of the 1950s Cold War. The adoption market globally expanded during this time due to wars, refugee migrations, famine and other forms of disaster. From 1953- 1962 American families adopted 15,000 foreign children. During the Korean war 50,000 children were orphaned following the July 1953 ceasefire. The children were orphaned due to abandonment by: social stigma, poverty, parental neglect and legal loss due to mental illness by the parents. American families viewed an interest in international adoption due to the U.S. armed forces sent to countries like: Japan, Germany, Korea and Vietnam. It was there that U.S. Servicemen produced children with the locals. The offspring of the U.S. Servicemen were a mixed race and sometimes led to the them being harassed in their own native country. The harassment of the children led to American families to take action and adopt these mixed raced children. The harassment also led to the development of adoption agencies such as the League for Orphan Victims in Europe (LOVE) and the American joint committee for assisting Japanese- American orphans. Following the Korean War the next sudden flux of international adoption came from Central and South America. In 1993 32% of U.S. families adopted Latin American children. The last major flux of international adoption came from the fall of the Communist governments of countries in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989. Since then there has been a lot of controversy over the topic of international adoption. Arguments over international adoption has discussed whether it provides impoverished children with a home or if it exploits the adopted child, their parents and the mother country.

Is international adoption beneficial to the birth parents?

Pro

Birth parents often know they cannot take care of a child. While most parents desperately want to keep their children, some parents realize that they are simply incapable of raising a child healthily and properly. For this reason, they voluntarily give up their child for adoption, knowing it will be best for the child, and thus also best for their own conscience, survival, and well being

Con

Think about losing a family member in your family. You can no longer see hime or her anymore. You used to have dinner together. You used to live together. You used to see them everyday no matter you like them or not. And, suddenly, he or she just disappears. Every member in the family, especially to the birth parents! Someone just takes away their child without their consent, how sad it will be to the birth parents! Their birth child is taken away from them and they probably can’t see the child again!! Some birth parents might be so sad that they have no attempt to lead their lives. They will be really depressed, and it’s not good for their health. That is to say, it’s not beneficial to the birth parents at all.

Is international adoption beneficial to the adopting parents?

Pro

Adopting a child internationally is in a lot of ways beneficial to the adopting parents. The adopting parents are allowed to adopt a child of ethic origin. It's also easier for the adopting parents to qualify for international adoption than domestic adoption. International adoption is not only easier to qualify but it's also more predictable in time and costs. The adopting parents also get the satisfaction that their adopting a child from an improvised country and giving it a home.

Con

Adopting a child into a family is not an easy thing, especially when he or she is a foreign child. The parents need to feed a new child, which costs a lot of money. Besides, the child might not be used to the food so the parents need to find a way to feed them the food which they eat. Moreover, it is even harder to teach them new things when the parents and the child speak different languages. The parents have to show their love to the child and let them know they’re beloved. The child might first refuse the love because they are in new surroundings and they don’t trust the new parents. It will be very frustrated to the parents. Because they spend their time and effort trying to let the child feel he or she is a real family member, but the child just refuse the love. In addition, if there are other children in the family, they might get jealous of the adopted child because they feel their parents always try to make the adopted child happy and may sometimes ignore their original children. If the parents discover the situation, they will be very sad because it is really hard to make both their original children and adopted child happy. They may regret adopting this child because he or she brings no joy but the sorrow to everyone in the family.

Is international adoption beneficial to the child?

Pro

International adoption is in a lot of ways beneficial to the child. Eligibility for adopting children in foreign countries is significantly different than adoption standards in the United States. Foreign countries also might not have adequate resources to care for children in orphanages. This inadequate supply of resources could mean the difference between life and death for the child.

Con

It is basically very hard for a child to adapt to a new family, even if they are adopted domestically. If they are adopted internationally, it would be even harder. Everything would be different and strange to them. They are in a new family. They have new parents and they are in new surroundings. The child has to learn a lot of things which are not familiar to them. They have to learn new language. They have to learn new culture. They also have to get used to different food. It will be very stressful to the children because they have to accept all new things at the same time, and they are away from their families, their countries, and everything they are used to. Also, if an Asian child is adopted to a white family, when they walk together on the street, people will know this is an adopted child. The child may be discriminated because the lack of the communication skills or the different nations they are.

Can the child keep its culture after being adopted to another country?

Pro

A child who is being adopted internationally can still keep its culture and background. In most cases the adopting parents have to go to the country of the child to complete the adoption process. This gives the adopting parents a chance to learn about the country and culture of the child. This not only benefits the parents but also the child, so the child won’t lose its culture.

Con

No, the children will not be able to keep their culture after being to another country. How can people keep their own cultures when they are in a totally different surrounding for so many years? It is already hard for adults, and even for children who just know the culture for a couple years. They don’t speak their own language. They don’t eat their cultural food. They don’t celebrate their festivals. They don’t do things that related to their culture. How are they supposed to remember everything about their culture and keep it as they grow up?